Overwatch Snowfall
by OverwatchHunter
Summary: Mei-Ling Zhou, a climatologist, finds herself mixed up with Minako Yukimura and her problems from the past after a chance encounter. While hesitant about her psychotic nature, Mei tries her best to not only help Minako, but also tries to understand her situation.
1. Chapter 1

**Message from the author: Hello! Before you start reading, I just wanted to say that I'm happy to start work on Overwatch: Snowfall! Some ground rules here for the story; 1) I will post whenever I get the chance though I'll try to get at least a chapter once every two weeks. 2) I'm only a beginner at storywriting so feel free to criticize wherever applicable. 3) I accept feedback of all types. I hope you enjoy the story!**

\- Matt -

Act 1 – Eventful Meeting

Minako Yukimura

Lijiang, Peoples Republic of China

29 July 2079

1200 Hours

_Minako, I'm sorry that I couldn't be there for you when you needed me. I wanted to see you live your dreams, see you grow up in this new world that we were thrown in. Seeing these new technological advances… they were like a dream come true! Like something that we were expecting as kids! But we both know how fucked up life can be. The Omnic Crisis… it took a toll on everyone… on me. We entered that damned project to escape hell, but we ended up in another kind of hell. I just want you to know that no matter where life takes you, I'm proud of you. I want you to make your own stories, make your own adventure… start a new life, even after the hell we went through._

\- Kiyoshi Yukimura, final message to Minako

That was the last message she had ever received from her brother. No matter how many times she played it, the words remained burned into her mind. The Japanese young girl, who sat on a tree overlooking the bustling metropolis of Lijiang, would always think about how different life could have been had the Omnic Crisis not taken away her older brother, the same brother who fought valiantly during the early twenty first century at Italy and Japan, facing against overwhelming odds. The painful memory always came back to haunt the girl every night.

The sky continued to darken as the city lights began to illuminate the night sky. However, her hopes never shined as bright as the city did, or any city for that matter. The first time she had gone to Lijiang was in the mid 2020's, prior to the Fushi Experiment and the Gokuteion Project. It was just an evolving city that was starting out, after economic stress began to alleviate after four years of trade warfare. Seeing it in its current state at least gave her hope for the future, but was it for the future of China, the world or herself?

The girl finally, jumped down from the tree, landing on her fours. The sounds of clicking from her black, high-heeled combat boots echoed across the empty forest, as did the sounds of cicadas. The smell of foliage littered the air along with blood. A few corpses, which the girl had killed, had obvious slash marks across their bodies and limbs, one was missing his head. The girl wiped off her red plaid skirt and her black jacket, blood splats still clearly visible across her cheek.

"It's done", the girl spoke to herself, closing her eyes and laying against a tree. "I'll just contact Hunter about it later and receive my paycheck."

"_And here I thought you were doing this all for good_", a male voice spoke from behind the same tree.

"Are you ever going to stop pestering me, Kiyo?" A man, tall in stature and fair in appearance, stepped out from behind the same tree the girl was resting on. The man, of Japanese blood, wore a slightly dirtied white suit with a red button-up shirt underneath. He straightened out his black tie, walking towards the tired girl.

"Nope. Family first, Minako."

She sighed, looking up at the man. The disappointment was visible on the man's face. He sat down next to her, patting her head. There was a moment of silence between the two. Minako, the man's younger sister, started playing with the magazine release for her Kimber 1911, pushing the magazine in and out. Breaking the silence, Minako stood up and looked at her older brother.

"If you want me to stop doing this black operations shit, then take it up with Overwatch. More specifically, Hunter."

The man, Kiyo, laughed. "You know why I can't do that. Overwatch would never approve of the existence of a yakuza like me." He stood up, looking towards the skyline of Lijiang, hands in his pockets. "That skyline never gets old for me. Nice and bright. Not like back in the day, though." Kiyo finally turned to his younger sister, putting one hand on her shoulder. "I have to get going. Got some business I need to take care of. Be a good girl, you hear?"

"Yes, mom", Minako responded sarcastically, brushing her long brown hair back with her left hand. "I'll also drink my water before I go to bed, mom." She looked at her brother with a stupid smirk, hands on her hips. The two finally parted ways, Minako looking down at her Kimber 1911 and putting it back in its holster. Just before she made it to her Suzuki Bandit motorcycle, her phone began to play an 8-bit Perturbator ringtone.

"It's done", she answered. "Five triads dead, one by the name of Lao-Tzu. That'll be five grand per body, fifteen on the designated target."

"_Got it_", the man spoke, presumably Hunter, but with a hint of disappointment in his voice. "_You know that this isn't what Overwatch is about, right?_"

"Well, we took down a few gangsters and they technically are bad guys so… I think I did exactly what Overwatch would have wanted."

"_You're acting like this is Blackwatch_."

"Same difference. Only Overwatch is currently operating illegally." There was a short silence over the radio. As mean as it sounded, Minako wasn't wrong. Overwatch is taking a huge risk by violating the Petras Act. It isn't helped by the fact that a good number of heroes are putting their names at risk by helping. One false move, and everyone would get into serious trouble. But Minako didn't care; the girl had nothing to lose, and there were only a few people she truly cared about. Not everyone in Overwatch made it to her list of important people, though.

"_You got me there, I guess_", he responded after a minute of silence. "_Just… do what a hero would do._"

"Stand in front of the cameras, wave with a fake smile, then cry in the bathroom while eating a tub of ice cream? Got it", Minako joked, getting on her motorcycle.

"_Ha ha ha, very funny_."

"I'll call you back when I get to the city. Just send me the money when I get there."

And like that, she hung up on him and put on her black visor motorcycle helmet. After finding a good tune to ride to, Minako pulled the stand up and finally kicked the kickstart lever of her motorcycle, rolling the throttle. Putting her left foot on the shift lever, she finally rode off and started to speed down the Chinese hillside.

* * *

Almost 30 minutes passed as the girl rode along the Chinese hillside. The greenery from the hillside slowly started to transform into a Chinese metropolis, populated with tall buildings and skyscrapers. The atmosphere was flooded with lights, coming from the signage on the sides of the metal and concrete buildings, and the large number of hovercars and normal four-wheeled cars. Despite how crowded the streets were, it didn't stop Minako from riding recklessly.

With her free hand, she activated the communicator that was built into her helmet. A small screen appeared at the center-top portion of her visor, revealing the man that she spoke to earlier over the radio. His dark brown hair was a slight mess, but still maintained a clean look. The man's face was deprived of dirt and smudge, save for the few blood splats over her face. The dark green eyes he had always showed this look of determination, as if he were ready to get something accomplished.

"_Yo!_" Minako started, dodging several hovercars. "_Choushidou?_"

"_I'm doing mighty fine for someone who's watching you drive like a complete lunatic_", he sarcastically responded, putting the palm of his hand over his face. "_I mean what ever shall I do if you end up under a semi-truck?_"

"Under a semi-truck", Minako scoffed. "Look, I've done this kind of thing a dozen times back in the day. Chances of me wiping out are pretty slim."

"_Well this isn't 'back in the day', you know? You're living in the future and not the early twenty-first century_."

Minako let out a surrendering sigh, letting off the throttle and slowly shifting down. Hunter did have a point; 2078 is far different from 2023. While the Gokuteion Project ensured that her and her fellow friends would be able to see the future, none of them had truly accounted for the change in culture. While people still used grounded four-wheeled automobiles, there was just as many hovercars and hoverbikes as there were regular cars. The only thing that really hasn't changed, though, was the erratic and impatient drivers. One can argue, though, that even the way the people drove has evolved; at least now you have a fifty-fifty chance of getting crushed by two sets of wheels or having your body get slashed by the metal disks keeping the cars afloat.

Though despite slowing down, it didn't stop another car from driving in front of her and send her flying off her bike. The motorcyclist ran into the side of a dark green Range Rover Defender that started crossing. Reacting, Minako attempted to stop the bike by applying both the front and rear brakes, though the effort was futile. The girl flew across the hood of the car, landing arm first onto the pavement. While the severity of the accident was high, Minako was still able to take her helmet off and at least move.

The signal between her and Hunter was lost, though it attempted to re-establish a connection. Minako, on the other hand, continued laying on the ground holding her now bleeding arm.

"_Thanks for jinxing it, you bastard_", she muttered before closing her eyes. The voices around her became muffled, but the distinct sound of high heels clicking on the ground began to ring in her ears. It started to get louder until finally it stopped. Then a soft-spoken, female Chinese voice started to play through her ears.

"Nǐ hái hǎo ma!?" The Chinese girl spoke in a panicked tone. "Are you okay!?"

* * *

A few hours prior…

* * *

Mei-Ling Zhou

Lijiang, Peoples Republic of China

28 July 2079

2340 Hours

The streets of the Lijiang metropolis were always busy, from dusk to dawn. The number of cars sitting in the city's highway was numerous, keeping it in an almost endless gridlock. The streets, while less crowded, was still lively in itself. People walking down the street, window shopping and talking with friends.

Mei-Ling Zhou, a world-renown Chinese climatologist, was heading home after yet another jampacked day at Atlas News. Interviews from earlier that day wore her out, making her yawn more often that when she works on her projects. In the car, her little blue weather drone, Snowball, would occasionally sprinkle a little bit of cold snow on her head, keeping her from falling asleep on the wheel.

"I don't think I should have stayed up that late", Mei yawned, straightening her dark brown hair and removing her hair pin, letting down her tied up hair. "Only two hours." Mei let out another loud yawn, only for it to be interrupted by Snowball sprinkling more snow on her head. She shivered a bit, shaking her head while the robot let out a playful face across its little screen. The Chinese girl simply giggled, patting the floating drones head.

At a stoplight, Mei began to clean her glasses, carefully removing all smudges from the lenses. Snowball turned off his thrusters and "sat" on the passenger seat, only to begin complaining at the fact that he can't see above the dashboard. After putting on her glasses again, the Chinese woman picked up the small blue drone and put him on top of the head rest of her seat.

"Nǐ kěyǐ zài nàlǐ xiūxí", she spoke, giggling again. "_You can rest there._"

As the light turned green, Mei started to inch forward to make a turn. It was then that a loud crunch immediately came out from her side of the car. The vehicle in question that hit her car, a dark red Suzuki Bandit, was demolished almost instantaneously. Despite the size, the motorcycle came at the car at such a force that it was able to move the car at least three feet from its original position. The rider on the motorcycle shot across the girls' windshield at such a speed, that the sight of the riders flying body was almost a blur. Mei recoiled a bit from the crash, causing her to wake up entirely. Initially, her eyes were only focused on the road ahead of her. Her eyes began to slowly focus towards the injured rider, laying on their side and holding their right arm.

_I hope she's alright! That really looked like it hurt!_

The Chinese girl got out of her car, taking off the seatbelt that was wrapped around her white button-up shirt. She began to run towards the injured girl, her black high heels hitting the ground rapidly. Her eyes looked down at the injured motorcyclist. The cyclists bleeding legs were the first thing she noticed; they were thin, but not so thin that they would have immediately snapped from the landing.

She crouched down and carefully rolled the rider on her back. Getting the finer details, she noticed what looked like a small sheath and a holster on the top end of the red plaid skirt, containing what seemed to have been a tanto and a type of 1911 respectively. The girl began to mutter something that Mei couldn't hear very well.

"Nǐ hái hǎo ma!?" The Chinese girl spoke in a panicked tone. "_Are you okay!?_"

"_Injector…_", the girl muttered, holding her bloodied arm. "_It's in the saddle… metallic syringe_."

Without hesitation, Mei ran to the motorcycle wreckage looking for the bikes saddle. Inside was several magazines, a portable cartridge loader, and several disk-like objects with white lights emitting from them. The fact that the crash didn't remotely damage any of the disks surprised Mei, but she was getting ahead of herself. Rummaging through the saddle finally revealed a small syringe that had Japanese writing on the sides; _kinkyuu nanite chuusha-ki_. She assumed that this was metallic syringe the girl was referring to; Mei recognized the kanji almost immediately to realize that this was some form of emergency stim pack. Picking it up, she ran back to the injured biker, handing the syringe to her.

"_Thanks…_" the girl groaned, taking the injector and putting the needle into her injured arm. She began to scream in pain as her arm slowly started to change colors. Initially, Mei thought she helped end her suffering. After a moment, the girl finally stopped squirming and began to sit herself up, looking at the girl who both knocked her off her motorcycle and helped her recover. She finished up the nanites job by wrapping her arm with bandage tape in her medical pouch, especially since the nanites couldn't fully conceal the still visible, yet slightly healed road rash.

"First off, thanks for both knocking me off my bike and helping," the girl began, taking off her helmet. A small but genuine smile appeared across her face, though it sent a few shivers down Mei's spine. What is she thinking? The girl tried to stand, but she immediately collapsed due to her injured legs. "_Kuso_; some good news would be very much appreciated right about now!"

Though as she spoke, several blacked out hovercar BMW 535i's started to appear on the street across from them. The girl saw the cars and immediately let out a loud sigh. "Thanks, god! I always wanted some Triads on my ass the moment I became a temporary paraplegic!" The girl looked at Mei, holding her arm. "Hey, help me out here. See those BMW's over there? Those belong to some bad people. They see you with me, we're both dead."

Initially, Mei didn't understand what was going on. However, looking behind her, she saw the blacked-out BMW's and several men and Omnics in suits get out of the car, pulling out pistols.

"You help me get out of here, you'd be saving both of our asses while doing very minimal work."

She looked back at the cyclist and nodded, helping her up. Inside the car, Snowball watched as Mei helped the person she knocked over, unlocking the door. She then laid the cyclist on the passenger seat, the girl holding her arm.

"Minako", she spoke, looking at Mei as she got into the driver seat. "Wǒ de míngzì jiào Minako. _My name is Minako_."

Mei looked at the girl, amazed. It's clear that the girl was Japanese, but the fact that she also spoke Chinese semi-fluently intrigued her. Mei put her foot on the gas, driving away from the scene before the gangsters noticed her. Before she could even ask about the motorcycle, several blue particles started to glow from behind. Looking back, the Suzuki Bandit that was left on its side was no longer there.

"Hěn gāoxìng jiàndào nǐ", Mei replied, amazed at what she had witnessed as the two drove away. "_Nice to meet you._"

"Excuse me if I butchered your language a bit. Rangers are required to know at least four languages, and Chinese is one that I'm still working on."

Mei giggled a bit, driving back to her apartment in the centermost part of Lijiang. Initially, Minako thought that they were simply passing by; after all, the centermost portion of Lijiang, commonly known as the Diànzǐ district, featured some of the more expensive apartments along with a multitude of buildings both old and modern. The district itself sat several kilometers away from the architectural marvel that is Lijiang Tower, a skyscraper that served as a type of "jack of all trades" building. Museums, workspaces, shops, markets; it had everything that the markets in Chongqing had, but on a larger scale and with much more detail thanks to Lucheng Interstellar._ I can never get used to how much Lijiang has changed. The countryside I remember is now one of the world's busiest metropolises._

* * *

After driving her car into the parking garage, Mei looked over at Minako, inspecting her injured body; lacerations across both of her legs, the bandaged right arm, and several rips across her shirt. Her long brown hair was still a slight mess from her helmet, but the rest of her face appeared to have been unscathed. Before Mei could inspect her body any further, Minako's ruby red eyes focused on her brown eyes, anger emitting from them.

"So, I wonder who's gonna pay for that bike", the girl spoke, looking at Mei with anger.

"But wait, you were the one who ran into my car side first!" Mei shouted, looking back at her.

"It was a green light on my side!"

"As it was on mine!"

The two continued exchanging looks and glares with one another. _There's no way both lights could have been green!_ Both girls looked at each other, though Mei believed that Minako was lying. However, she knew that if she continued arguing with her that something bad would happen. Letting out a defeated sigh, Mei took off her seatbelt and opened the door.

"Fine, I'll just take your word that it was green", she mumbled. "And if it's any consolation, I'll at least pay for the damages."

"So, you have a hundred and fifty grand on you?" Minako asked, tilting her head. Mei stopped, eyes widening from what she heard.

"Shì rénmínbì ma?" Mei asked while chuckling nervously. "_Is that in yuan?_"

"No, no, no. If it was, that would be closer to about a million. I'm talking about ten Franklins times a thousand."

Mei's nervous chuckle faded into a state of panic. The motorcycle, a Suzuki Bandit 1200, was one of the rarer bikes of the 2070s. Mei remained petrified, looking back at Minako. _I can't afford that!_ Even though she was one of the more well-known climatologists and most sought after from employers and fans alike, she still lived on a normal income.

Before Mei could continue speaking, a red light from just above the helmet's camera lens began to blink. Initially, she thought that Minako's helmet had something that relied on a battery and that it just needed charging. The light stopped blinking and the camera beneath began to project a holographic screen of the man the girl was talking to.

"_What the hell happened?_" The voice spoke, searching for Minako. Upon spotting her, he let out a sigh of relief, focusing his eyes on her. "_Thank god you're alright. Started getting worried when I suddenly lost your signal. Are you okay?_"

"Yes, dad", Minako responded, showing her bandaged arm. "Just got a souvenir from Lijiang. Several souvenirs."

"_Jesus Christ, I didn't think they could rough you up so easily._"

"Not so much a they, as a she."

"_The hell are you on about?_"

Holding up one finger, she limped towards Mei and pulled her back to the car, showing her face to the man. He immediately put both of his hands on his face, letting out a sigh of disappointment. After the pause, he spoke.

"_You do realize that Winston won't be happy about this one, right?_"

"As long as you don't tell him I have a hostage."

"_But that is Mei-Ling Zhou you have! She is not only a valued climatologist of Overwatch, but she's also a civilian!_"

The words that came out of his mouth didn't faze the Japanese biker. But the name sounded familiar to her, like she heard it somewhere in the past. Regardless, the man couldn't get through to her, possibly because of her own wants instead of the needs of both Overwatch and the world.

"Okay, I get it", she replied with a slightly agitated tone. "She's an unarmed Overwatch scientist of some sort. She won't last long, what with Murkywater and Talon roaming about. Not to mention the numerous free agents." Mei shivered from those words, looking slightly worried. Both were aware of the current climate regarding terrorism and freelance mercenaries, and while she was safe in Lijiang. At the same time, however, she started to question the logic behind what Minako said. Why would terrorists want to aim for a climatologist? Does Murkywater or Talon even have a foothold in China? More importantly, what was Minako's true intents?

More and more questions started to flood her brain, completely shutting out the conversation between the man and Minako. She took off her black-framed glasses and started to rub her eyes. The long day at work, the motorcycle slamming against the side of her car, and now the never-ending flood of questions in her mind started to tire her out more and more. Before she could doze off for a minute, Minako started snapping her fingers repeatedly at her.

"Stay awake, Snowflake", she uttered loudly. "Still got some things we need to take care of." Despite the several loud snaps, Mei started to doze off again, exhausted from the night's events. Letting out a defeated sigh, Minako looked back at the man. "Seems like that's all for the night. The Bandit's in the repair bay at Gibraltar. So, if you can, please fix it."

"Brig and I will see what we can do", he answered, nodding. "Just… stay out of trouble." And with that, the projection turned off. Minako then turned to Mei, who fell asleep while standing. Rather than trying to break into a house that she assumed was hers, Minako wrapped Mei's right arm around her and put her in the back seat of her Ranger Rover. The blue drone, Snowball, looked at both Mei and Minako.

"I'm not thinking of doing anything you little runt." After closing the door, Minako sat back in the passenger seat and reclined the chair, looking up at the ceiling of the car while slowly closing her eyes. _She owes me for the bike, and regardless of what Winston or Hunter says, I'll make her pay._ With that final thought, Minako too fell asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Hello everyone! It's the author again! First of all, I apologize for the late post; I intended to post this last week, but midterms got in the way and I had other things to take care of. Also worth noting is that Call of Duty: Modern Warfare (2019) came out yesterday, so I've been slightly busy trying the game out. I'm hoping that there won't be anymore slowdowns like this in the near future, but no promises. Finally, I might reduce the word count per chapter so I can squeeze out at least a chapter a week. Anyways... to the story!**

Act 2 – Uneasy Partnership

Mei-Ling Zhou

Lijiang, Peoples Republic of China

29 July 2079

0943 Hours

Normally, Mei looked forward to the mornings. Doing simple tasks like making her bed or brushing her teeth gave her a sense of satisfaction very early in the day. Unlike the other days, she found herself in the back seat of her car as opposed to the softness of her mattress. She was wearing the same outfit from last night instead of her pajamas. Initially, she was confused about it. Her bare feet touched the side of the door as she stretched. Mei finally sat up right, rubbing her eyes and looking around for her glasses. Moving her feet around, she felt her high heels on the floorboard along with her black framed glasses.

Opening the door, she put her high heels on and got out, stretching. _Not the best sleep I've had, but I've had worse!_ She started to reminisce about some of her more fun travels like her visit to the Himalayas. At the same time, she remembered the multi-day treks where she only had to a bedroll to sleep in and most of the time it wasn't comfortable. "Tòngkǔ zuìzhōng shì zhídé de!" She whispered to herself, giggling. _"It was painful, but it's worth it!"_ As she giggled, she heard Minako turning over and yawning. Her joyous thoughts quickly disappeared upon hearing and, eventually, seeing her.

"Ohayou", Minako yawned, stretching her arms out. "_Good morning."_

"Zǎo shàng hǎo", she quietly responded. "_Good morning_".

Mei wasn't exactly hyped about Minako's presence. On top of having to pay a ridiculous amount of money for her motorcycle, she believed that Minako was just another hostile entity of Overwatch. Opening the passenger door, Minako got out and stretched, taking off her ripped jacket. "Zannen desu ne…", Minako muttered, looking at the massive whole on her jackets right sleeve. "_That's too bad…"_

Initially, she didn't understand what she was saying. Japanese wasn't her strongest language, but she did know that Minako was disappointed about her jacket. Mei focused her attention on her surroundings, from the dark grey concrete walls, to the Range Rover that had a massive dent on the front left fender. Finally, she focused her attention back at Minako, who was already glaring at Mei.

"So, Snowflake", Minako exclaimed, putting her hands on her hips. "Let's talk about some small details here. Firstly, I want to make this clear; I don't care about your affiliation with Winston or Overwatch or whoever. You cross me, I will end you. Second, you _will_ pay for the damages to my motorcycle, one way or another. As I've said last night, a hundred and fifty grand."

"Now wait just a minute!" Mei objected. "You were the one who ran into _me_! You should be the one paying for the damages to my car!"

"Insurance will handle it. Besides, Ranger Rover parts are still easy to come by. The same cannot be said about parts for say a 2017 Suzuki Bandit. We're talking a common old car versus a bike that's so rare; you might as well call it a unicorn."

Minako got her there. Two-wheeled motorcycles were the first vehicles to get phased out by their hoverbike counterparts. While dealers that specializes in regular two-wheeled motorcycles are still around, they are few and far between. Even then, the motorcycles go for ridiculous prices. Minako's statement of the bike costing around a hundred and fifty thousand dollars, while it may seem unrealistic, isn't too farfetched of a price. It still doesn't change the fact that it's still outside of Mei's economic reach. Even with grants that are provided by either the province or her work, it still wouldn't be enough.

"Now if you ask politely, I might give you some opportunities to help me out and thus, put some coin in your pocket", Minako continued, crossing her arms and closing her eyes.

"What do you think of me, some sort of bounty hunter?" Mei countered.

"Did I say you were gonna do some killing? I said I might give you opportunities to help me out. I'm not telling you to kidnap the president's daughter or kill some figurehead whom _I_ could care less about."

That's two for two on Minako. Regardless, Mei was still uncomfortable and hesitant about helping Minako with anything, regardless of the situation. Letting out a defeated sigh, she nodded slowly and looked back at Minako, seeing her enthusiastic grin. "I'll help", Mei uttered. "As long as you don't have me kill anyone and as long as I can do my work."

"Done", Minako replied, walking over to Mei. She then grabbed Mei's hand and shook it for her. After they finished shaking, Mei began to feel uneasy around Minako; she doesn't know anything about her aside from her being a freelancer, she appears to have some affiliation with the Rangers and Overwatch, but that's just about it. _What did I get myself into?_

A few hours passed by, the busy morning rush now turning into the afternoon rush. It was hot and humid, even more so on this day. Minako looked over the city from the balcony of Mei's condo, sweating from just standing still. _Hontou ni atsui da yo… It's really hot… _Meanwhile, Mei remained focused on some data that she had collected from an EcoPoint in Canada. Every now and then, she would look past her Surface to see what Minako was up to. Occasionally, she would see Minako play around with her phone or slightly sheathing and unsheathing her _tanto_.

Mei continued with her work but occasionally looked over Surface, until she opened the slide door. Mei glued her face to her screen, avoiding eye contact with Minako in case she might have unintentionally angered her. Curiosity began to flood her mind, however. The name Minako Yukimura seemed familiar, but she didn't know why. Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted after the girl put her hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, mind if we talk a bit?" she asked, grabbing an empty chair and sitting on it.

"Wh-what did you need?" Mei responded, nervously. Minako let out a sigh, squeezing the bridge of her nose in slight irritation.

"If you think I'm gonna kill you, you are mistaken. Besides, even if I were going to kill you, you really had to have done something that would have pissed me off big time." Despite the execution of her words, it slightly calmed Mei down. "I just wanted to apologize for slapping a huge repair bill on your tab. It won't change the fact that you still owe me money, but that bike is important to me."

"Was it a gift?" Mei asked, looking at her.

"Yeah. My brother gave it to me for my twenty-first birthday. It was my first, non-government provided, high powered motorcycle. So, it's not so much that I'm being a complete asshole, as much as it is me being sentimental."

"That is both very nice and reassuring", Mei responded, smiling. Seeing her smile made the girl look away, scratching the top of her head and blushing a bit.

"Y-Yeah. Anyway, I said earlier that there might be a few opportunities. No, you won't have to do any killing. But you will be helping me run a few errands. You help me and I will provide two things; protection and money."

While she was dozing off the night before, she did remember Minako make mention of Murkywater and Talon. While Murkywater operates more along the lines of "you don't shoot me, we won't shoot you", Talon is far more aggressive with their actions. It doesn't help that Minako seemingly works against the two.

"My boss, Hunter, told me to take care of you. Of course, you probably didn't hear that part since you were asleep… still don't know how you can sleep while standing, but whatever. The point is, I'll make you work for it. I won't force you to plow fields or take me to the nearest fast food joint; all I'm asking for is your cooperation. You help me, and it'll come back twofold. Remember; money and protection."

"What would I have to do?" Mei asked, closing her Surface. "I mean, I'm sure the work isn't going to be easy work."

"Drive me to point A, and I'll take care of the rest. You play the getaway driver, the courier, or whatever. I'll be generous and give you say five grand per. Obviously if I have no work, you won't receive a cent."

Mei began to ponder the thought of her being a getaway driver for a mercenary/supposed Overwatch agent. Rather than thinking realistically, outlandish ideas started to appear; Hollywood-esque explosions while the two are driving away in an orange sports car, or a police chase of about ten squad cars chasing the two until they reach an impassable dead end.

"Hey, focus", Minako interrupted, snapping her fingers in front of Mei's eyes. Mei immediately flinched and looked at Minako again.

"Sorry", she responded. "My brain is just somewhere else at the moment."

Minako let out a light chuckle, putting her hand on Mei's shoulder. "Oh I'm sure your brain is somewhere else."

A few hours had passed since their conversation about work. Mei remained hesitant over the work, believing that it would end up getting her killed. Despite walking through the frozen desert of Antarctica, the freezing mountains of the Himalayas, and the dry Mojave Desert in the United States, it probably won't compare to getting shot by people she doesn't know. The thought of getting shot freaked Mei out, though it left Minako unfazed. At one point, Mei caught Minako without her shirt on. Even though her face lit up to a bright red color initially, she began to see the large number of scars from years of fighting. It was obvious that all the scratches and sealed lacerations weren't from the motorcycle accident the other day. Her breasts were wrapped with bandage tape, though that might be more cosmetic than an actual injury coverup.

It was clear that Minako didn't mind the injuries she received. In fact, if she were to bandage all her injuries, the girl would've looked like a modern-day mummy. Even though the injuries were all scarred, it was still a horrifying sight even if it didn't hurt. The one sentence that Minako said to her, the one sentence that she remembered; "This? I've had much worse than this." _What could possibly be worse than having several bullets scrape past or land on you? _At this point, her brain has probably become a mental library; there were just too many questions for her to ask Minako. Chances of forgetting those questions are probably slim to none, especially since questions all revolve around Minako's character; the injuries, her willingness towards "protecting" her, even her past. Regardless, it was as if there was a choice.

Minako came out of the restroom, tossing her torn jacket on a couch across from Mei's table. Her black tank top was slightly scuffed from the previous night, and her skirt slightly torn from the skid and her previous operation. Her right arm was still bandaged due to the severity of the injury; the nanites that she had injected were still working on speedily healing the road rash that covered most of her upper right arm. Sitting on the love seat, she picked up her 1911 and began to take it apart, one piece at a time. Mei, sitting at the table across from her, was hard at work writing up an environmental report for Atlas News. Like before, she would occasionally look back at Minako to see what she was doing.

"Hey Snowflake", Minako spoke, breaking the silence while inspecting all the parts to her gun. "I probably will need a place to stay. Are you alright with my crashing here?"

"What?" Mei responded. "I don't have a spare bed here though."

"This couch is fine. It's comfortable enough, and it won't break my back like the sleeping cots at the Ranger quarters."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm sure."

Minako looked up at Mei, holding up the barrel of the gun. Then something struck her:

"I just realized I need my tools", she announced. "Well, 'tools' with air quotes. You know what I mean."

"Tools?"

"You know, a free agents' best friends."

It took a minute, but Mei knew what she was talking about; guns. Her hesitant side began to show again, which somewhat irritated Minako.

"Look, all you have to do is take me to the base of Lijiang Tower, where the local Ranger station is located. No violence, no killing; just a small errand. And you really can't complain; you're getting paid for something so simple."

"You're right, but I'm not sure how to feel about you bringing more weapons in the house…"

"I told you before and I'll tell you again, I won't kill you. Just help me out and I promise I won't bother you until your first operation."

After a minute of thinking, Mei reluctantly agreed to help Minako get her "tools". Upon finishing reassembling her gun, Minako laid the gun down on the table and walked to the door. Despite her hesitation, Mei reassured herself by believing that the girl was only going to pick up two guns. Whether or not that was true was up to how isolated she wanted her imagination to be. To Mei, it felt like she was digging herself deeper and deeper the further she helped Minako.

The drive took roughly an hour, due to the late afternoon rush hour. People of different nationalities and occupation began making their way back home, either to be with their loved ones or to catch a break in the never-ending white-collar work. The traffic from the oncoming lane almost seemed like a parking lot, reminding Minako of how bad traffic got when she visited Shanghai. The lanes going towards the tall tower, however, were barely empty. In fact, the only cars on the road, save for the few that were parked off to the side, were a 2054 Toyota Hi-Ace and a 2023 Nissan Leaf. Reaching the bridge that connects the main city with the towers massive artificial island. The half-mile bridge provided a beautiful view of the futuristic metropolis.

Reaching the edge of the bridge, the two girls were greeted by a new set of buildings, unique to the island. In front of them laid several five and six story office buildings, where white-collar workers working for Lucheng, Atlas News, and Artemis GmbH congregate. At the edge of the T-shaped intersection was the Lijiang Ranger Station and the entrance to the massive Lijiang Tower. The road between the two buildings led directly to an underground parking structure, allowing for easy access to the buildings without having to completely congest the road. Mei stopped her dented Range Rover in front of the parking structures entrance which was blocked by metal bollards. A Chinese guard, presumably a Ranger, made his way from the booth to the car, checking who the driver and the passenger were. The man was dressed in a set of gray digital camouflaged fatigues. His head, like many of the recruit Rangers, was shaved clean of any hair. The man's eyes looked thinner than usual, probably due to lack of sleep.

"Visiting or…?" He asked in a tired tone, covering his mouth with his free hand as he yawned.

"Visiting", Mei responded, looking at the tired man.

"Here to pick up a few requisitions and _maybe_ take a look around Lijiang Tower if we have time", Minako continued, moving her body forward so the guard can see. "Minako Yukimura, Access Tag is Four-Six-Two-Seven-Alpha-Delta-Sierra-Niner."

"Retinal?" The man asked, walking over to her side.

"We still do that? Whatever, let her rip." Minako reluctantly allowed the guard to scan her eyes with a handheld retinal scanner. Pointing the scanner towards her ruby red eyes, a blue beam projected from the lens. He started with her right eye, then her left. Once done, the information was sent directly to his wrist mounted computer. Another lens began to emit some basic information, confirming her identity; Minako's full name, occupation, status, and access tag appeared on the holographic interface, approving her entry into the compound.

"Access tag 4627ADS9, Minako Yukimura. Everything seems to check out. What about your friend?"

"I'm not a Ranger", Mei responded, slightly tightening her grip on the steering wheel. "I'm—"

"A visitor", Minako interrupted. "I'm sponsoring her in for the day. I'm planning on getting her a civilian badge if those are still available." _That's very nice of her. Though I'm not sure how to feel…_

"The guys and girls at the visitors center can help take care of that", the man responded, yawning. "I'll go ahead and let you girls through. Give me a second to lower the bollards."

After the man lowered the bollards, the two girls drove into the parking structure, making their way towards the first basement level. Parking the car, Minako put her hand on Mei's shoulder, looking at her. Initially, Mei thought that she was going to have to stay in the car. However, Minako started shooting looks to the nearby elevators, subtly telling her to come with.

"Are you sure?" Mei asked, unfastening her seatbelt.

"As long as you don't make me look bad", Minako joked, unfastening her seatbelt and getting out of the car. The blue drone from the other day, Snowball, came out from the rear seat, unintentionally startling Minako. "_Chikushou! _You fucking bastard!" The robot started to giggle a bit, though Mei grabbed him immediately so that Minako wouldn't hit him.

"Don't hit him! He didn't mean any harm!" Mei held the robot close to her chest, the blue drone now shaking from Minako's loud Japanese cursing. It was hard to tell if she was genuinely going to hurt him, though Minako did provide the robot with one small warning:

"Do that again, and I'll take you apart and use you for spares for my rifle, you stupid little runt!"

"It won't happen again, I swear!" Mei answered back, caressing the robot in her arms. The robot looked back up at her owner, wondering why she is working with Minako. While she hasn't been with her long, she doesn't know why she's working for her either aside from her hundred and fifty-thousand-dollar debt. As the two walked down the elevators, Snowball followed them, hovering close to Mei. Minako was slightly disappointed at the fact that the robot followed her, though arguing with Mei wouldn't have gotten them anywhere.

The two girls entered the large main lobby after waiting roughly ten seconds in the elevator. The black tiled marble floors in the lobby had a decent number of people standing on it, from suited agents to men and women wearing a variety of fatigues, some of whom were sitting on couches neatly placed near the windows and walls. The front entrance, which had large windows stretching from the top floor down to the bottom, had two armored soldiers standing guard holding M249 light machine guns. They seemed intimidating to Mei initially, though she knew they were there to keep everyone inside safe. Though that's just it; everyone inside seemed to be armed with some sort of firearm. The guns they were all holding weren't small either; most guns held were either an MP5, a type of AR15, or a shotgun of some sort. _Is there really a need to have armed security then?_

Mei continued looking around in complete awe; her initial thoughts on the place was that it was run down and was like a bar. However, it was cleaner and more organized than anticipated. Mei readjusted her glasses and continued looking around. While she was enjoying the polished inside, Minako was becoming more and more frustrated with the man at the front counter.

"What do you mean I can't access my requisitions without my CO!?" Minako argued. "I'm a freelancer! I don't need my CO to access my equipment!"

"I'm sorry, Minako", the man responded, going through the computer and accessing her file. "It says here that you are still registered under Fireteam Iota for Shadow Company."

"I updated that over a year ago! My squad leader was there when I started my freelancing!"

"I'm sorry Minako, but I'm just following protocol."

"Come on! Just—"

"Just let her through", a voice from behind spoke. The light Mexican accent sounded very familiar to the Japanese girl. Slowly turning her body towards the voice, there stood a Mexican girl a few inches taller than she. The girl cracked a small smile, her visible right blue eye gleaming with joy. Her shoulder length brown hair covered her left eye, though even if her free eye wasn't visible, her bright smile conveyed her mood.

"Captain!" Minako yelled, slightly startled. Mei immediately looked towards the two after hearing Minako shout. The Japanese biker was saluting towards a beautiful Mexican girl. A blue tank top went over her white blouse. Her black skirt had several chains go from the rear side to the front, along with a pistol holster on her right side. _Who is she?_

"At ease", the girl giggled, putting Minako's hand down, holding it with both of her hands. Minako felt a combination of the hard leather from the girl's fingerless gloves and her soft skin from her exposed fingertips. She looked at the man at the counter and began speaking to him: "Fireteam leader Rozio Andretti, Access Tag Eight-Nine-Nine-Zero-Charlie-Sierra-Charlie-Four. I'm granting permission to allow Minako to get her requisitions."

"Of course, ma'am", the man responded, signaling the two of them through.

"Thank you", Rozio responded, smiling. She then turned her head towards Minako, keeping her smile. "It's been a while, Mina."

To be continued...


End file.
